Weekend Rain
by Rae1
Summary: Potty mouth! My first attempt at a Daikeru/Takedai. Also has some amounts of Taito/Sorato/Taiora, and other couples, some straight.
1. Stormy weather

Author's note: Wet Daisuke! Yummy:) Sorry, my mind's in the gutter today. This is an attempt at Daikeru/Takedai/Tasuke. This also has Kenyako, Hikori/Hiori/Ikari (I'm not certain how that would be written). Also, Taito/Sorato/Taiora(kinda). Other couples are undecided, if in here at all.  
  
Disclaimer: Don't own. Don't want to. It would be too much resposibility, getting out all the episodes on time. On the plus side. I would run continous marathons, with all the episodes airing at least once a week. No one would have to miss a fave.  
  
Warning: Shounen-ai. Yaoi. Some good, old-fashioned fluffy goodness. I happen to enjoy this couple, mainly because they remind me of Tai and Matt, who are so cute when they fight.  
  
_________________  
  
Author: Rae (penname)  
Title: Weekend Rain  
Content: Takedai/Daikeru, Taito, yaoi  
  
Daisuke walked down the street, his auburn hair flattened by the constant drissle of rain. He had left on Jun's advice. She had been a lot nicer lately. So had all of his friends, the digi-destined. Except Ken. -He- was still the same as always.  
  
Quiet, melancholy, alone...all words that fit his mood and thoughts. Every corner he turned seemed to make those feelings stronger. He was heartsore, and it grew with each step, even though it brought him that much closer to its cause.  
  
His head was down as he rounded another corner. He was brought back to reality when he bumped into an older man. He bowed and apologized. Walking away, he realized that he was at a busstop several miles from his house. A picture of his parents flashed in his mind, and he realized that he should call home. Jun, at least, would worry.  
  
He didn't see a familiar teen exit the bus, his blonde hair covered by the familiar white hat. T.K. looked around and found an easily recognized set of goggles and shock of red-brown hair slipping away from the crowd. Without a conscious thought, he followed, his stride long to overcome the distance between them. He didn't call out, didn't try to get the other to stop.  
  
He was a meter away when Davis stepped off the curve to cross the road. In his daze, he didn't see the truck barreling down the road. It took a moment for T.K. to realize what was happening. His feet were rooted to the spot, his breath frozen in his throat.  
  
Davis looked up, his eyes scanning the raod. At the last possible second, a hand grabbed the back of his jacket and yanked him backwards. The driver honked as he passed, the tires throwing water from a puddle at them. T.K. was breathing heavy, fear and adrenaline leaving his body in a gasp.  
  
The brunette looked at him, at the road, and back again. "Thank you." It was said simply, sincerely, and without any of his normal excitement.  
  
"No problem." They looked at each other, looking for something, but not knowing what. "Are you okay?" He meant more that physically.  
  
"Been better. You?" The blonde shrugged. With a look of surprise, Davis turned his face up to the sky. "It's raining."  
  
T.K. felt his jaw drop as he looked at his friend closely. The other teen was soaked through, testimony that he'd been in the rain for quite a while. Yet, he wasn't joking. He appeared truly shocked that the water was pouring from the sky. "You -just- noticed?"  
  
"I was thinking." Again, he spoke quietly. He started across the road again, this time checking for traffic. Takeru followed, not realizing that they were headed toward his apartment, just wanting to talk to Davis.  
  
"Hey, Davis?"  
  
"Daisuke."  
  
He paused, confused.   
  
"It's my name. My given name. You don't have to use it, though. It's your choice."  
  
"Oh." He didn't know what else to say. They were friends, and had been, surely. But the rest of the gang was still rather informal, and everyone was referred to by their nicknames. Yamato was Matt, Koushiro still Izzy. The only people he had asked to call him Takeru were Matt, Kari, Cody, and Tai.  
  
Daisuke stopped and turned to him. "Your stop." T.K. looked up at his apartment building. Davis...Daisuke looked at him. "Bye, T.J."  
  
"Takeru."  
  
"Excuse me?"  
  
"My given name."  
  
"Oh." Brown eyes met blue, and they smiled at each other.  
  
"If you come up, you can call your parents, and dry off."  
  
"Thanks." He followed the other boy into the apartment building. "Are you sure your mother won't mind?"  
  
They bypassed the elevator for the stairs. "She's on assignment. I'm alone for the weekend. I'm supposed to check in with Matt each night, but otherwise, I'm on my own."  
  
Daisuke wasn't surprised. At fifteen, T.K...Takeru was a very responsible teen. His own parents left him without supervision. Not because they trusted him, but because as long as the house was in one piece, they didn't care what he did.  
  
"That's nice." They reached the door to his home, and the blonde unlocked it. The phone was on an end table in the living room. The brunette picked it up and dialed his home number.  
  
"Motomiya residence." Jun.  
  
"Jun, I'm at T.K's. Tell mom and dad..." He paused as he heard his father yelling in the background.  
  
"Sorry, Dai. Mom and Dad are fighting. Ask your little friend if you can spend the night. Don't bother calling back. I'll tell them you'll be home Sunday. Love ya, little brother." The line went dead, and he replaced the phone in its cradle.  
  
Takeru was in the kitchen, warming up tea and spring rolls. He had put a towel and change of clothes on the table. Daisuke grabbed it wordlessly from the surface, and headed down the hallway, searching for the bathroom.  
  
It was the second door on the left, the first being the blonde's bedroom. On the way back, he stopped in the first room. Everything was neat and tidy. Light filtered in from the hallway and uncovered window, falling across the pictures on his desk.  
  
"Hey, Takeru?" The first picture was of Takeru and his brother. It was a recent one, with their arms around each other, matching grins, blue eyes sparkling.  
  
"Yeah?" The second was all of the chosen children together, as they had been four years ago, right after they defeated Malomyotismon. They were dirty and grinning. Triumphant.  
  
His gaze was riveted on a picture of himself. He and Veemon were facing an unidentified opponent. They looked determined and fierce. They were the epitomy of self-confidence.  
  
Takeru stood in the doorway as Dai picked up the last frame, the questions dying on two sets of lips. It was a 5x7 of the two of them. Dai was staring off into the distance, his profile caught by sunlight, his expression thoughtful. Takeru stood to the back and side, his gaze resting just as thoughtfully on the brunette.  
  
"That was two years ago, a week before school let out." He had kept the pictures that meant the most to him. After all that time, he hadn't expected Daisuke to come to his house. He hadn't in four years.  
  
"That was the day Cody asked her out, and she wanted to let us know before she said yes." Daisuke put it gently back on the desk.  
  
"She expected to break two hears that day." Silence echoed through the room as the storm continued outside, rain and wind battering against the window.  
  
"Jun said to ask if I could stay here. Our parents are on a rampage, and I'm their favorite target, lately." For most of his life, actually. His tone implied that his company was unwanted by more than just his parents. They hadn't really spoken since Kari and Cody had followed Yolie and Ken into couplehood bliss.  
  
"It's not a problem if you stay. You can sleep on any surface in the apartment." As an afterthought, "Except my bed."  
  
"Oh, darn!" Dai rolled his eyes. "Ruin all my fun." Takeru didn't respond. His mind was still in the past, his eyes on the picture.  
  
~^*^~Flashback~^*^~  
  
"Thanks for meeting me, guys." Kari looked at T.K. and Davis nervously. They stayed silent, having agreed to let her have her say before they interrupted her. "As you know, Ken and Miyako...Yolie, have been going out for a month now. All the older kids have significant others, with the exclusion of my brother and Izzy. So, it's likely that we'll all end up dating someone from within the group."  
  
T.K. had looked at the boy next to him, noticing that he didn't look excited or hopeful. He had finally gotten over his crush on her. The blonde wondered briefly when that had happened.  
  
"So, it shouldn't surprise you that -I've- found someone, too. I'm sorry if I sould like I'm rejecting you, or something, but I really just wanted you both to know."  
  
Davis had stood up and hugged her. "Be happy with him, and treat him well." She had looked surprised, and relieved. She wasn't the only one who had expected a different reaction, despite his assurances that he was over her. T.K. had hugged her also.  
  
"Congratulations, Hikari-chan. You two will be good together."  
  
"I know. Imagine, little Hida Iori being so different after just two years! So sweet, so serious. Same Cody that we've known, but changed somehow."  
  
They all sat back down, Kari between both boys. "He's liked you since shortly after the Jogress. I'm glad that you're giving him a chance, despite the age thing."  
  
"Age doesn't equal maturity." Davis' grin was lopsided, but sincere.  
  
"Or wisdom." T.K. nudged her shoulder.  
  
"I know. Thanks, guys."  
  
"No problem, Kari-kun. No prob."  
  
~^*^~End Flashback~^*^~  
  
  
"You didn't go to their anniversary party." He ignored the sarcasm in Daisuke's last comment.  
  
"I was grounded. I tried to sneak out, but got caught. I'm grounded until we graduate!" He smiled self-consciously. "They got my gift, though. It's not like I forgot."  
  
"They liked it, too." He had made a clay statue of Gatomon and Armadillomon dancing. They were in rookie form, and wearing formal wear. It had been a very detailed project with a lot of thought and effort behind it. The recipients had been especially pleased and awed by it. "It was really good."  
  
The brunette looked at him in surprise. "Thanks." He said, sincerely flattered by the simple praise. Art had become another close hobby of his, right after soccer, and teasing Yolie. "I've been sort of working on something for your birthday. It's not a statue, or anything big."  
  
It was Takeru's turn to be surprised. "I'm sure it will be great. You've got a lot of talent, Daisuke." He watched as a flush climbed up tan cheeks.  
  
"Yeah, well, don't be surprised if it sucks. I'm doing it with pastels, which is a new medium for me. They're really hard to work with." He put his hands in the pockets of his borrowed pants, his shoulders hunching. The pant cuffs dragged against the ground. The shirt, normally loose on Takeru, was snug-looking on the shorter teen.  
  
"The tea's getting cold." Takeru backed into the hallway, letting his friend lead the way back into the kitchen. As he followed, he realized that the pants were snug, too. He smiled slightly, heat flushing his cheeks. "Nice."  
  
"What?" They reached the kitchen, and the brunette sat in front of the plate of rolls, stuffing the first one in his mouth immediately. Takeru just watched as half the plate disappeared, grinning at his friends obvious enjoyment of the food.  
  
"I was thinking that it's been a while since we've hung out. It's nice to get a chance to catch up." Plus, Dai's athletics payed off well, and he was 'nice' from any angle. The blonde sipped his tea, thankful that his friend didn't notice his blush.  
  
His hunger satisfied, Daisuke leaned back from the table and sighed. His brown eyes swept around the room, and compared it to what he had seen of the rest of the apartment. Everything in order, clean and spotless. His own house was usually chaos, his room cluttered and unkept.   
  
"Soccer's good, art's good. I'm still the video game king. No dates, barely passing, and suffering from Veemon withdraw." He listed it off on his fingers, not mentioning his home life, or family.  
  
"Basketball's good, school's good, Matt's good, and my friends seem happy, with few exceptions. No dates, missing the batpig like crazy, not looking forward to a weekend alone, missing Mom, missing Dad, had missed talking to you, miss the group being together. Cable's off, VCR is broken, Mom stole the paddles to the PS2, the stereo is on the fritz...mmph!"  
  
Dai clamped a hand over his mouth. "You whine too much. But I'll forgive you, since you fed me, if you stop." The blonde nodded. "And I thought I had problems." He grinned, and Takeru smiled in response. He removed his hands.  
  
"It -is- good talking to you again, Dai. You don't seem available too often."  
  
"I've been trying to stay busy. Idle minds are the devil's toys, or some such thing." He had passed from being a constantly annoying dumb jock into a slightly obnoxious semi-intelligent athlete with a short attention span.  
  
"Hands and playthings." Dai raised an eyebrow at him in confusion, as Takeru stood up and moved the used dishes to the sink. "Idle hands are the devil's playthings."  
  
"Oh. For a second, I just thought yo were trying to get kinky." Takeru whipped around as his friend walked calmly into the other room. "Too bad."  
  
The phone rang, interrupting any chance he had of following up on that line of thought. "Takaishi residence." He picked up the kitchen extension.  
  
"Hey, Takeru! How's it going?" Matt's voice crackled over the line as if he were on a payphone.  
  
"Everything's fine. What's up?" He was supposed to be calling his older brother, not the other way around. Not to mention that the elder sounded nervous.  
  
"Not much. Would you mind if I stayed over there over the weekend?" Takeru peeked into the living room, where Daisuke was glaring at a static filled television screen.   
  
"That's cool. No problem. See ya in a bit?" He liked the idea of spending the night alone with Daisuke, but his brother sounded like he needed him. The phone was returned to the wall. "Hey, Dai? We're getting company." The phone rang again. "Takai-"  
  
"Takeru, you have to help me!"  
  
"Tai?"  
  
"I need to find your brother! Where is he? I can't get an answer at your dad's!"  
  
"He's coming here..." The phone slammed in his ear. Things were getting stranger by the second. He looked up to see Daisuke leaning against the door frame, his hair spiked like normal.  
  
"Who's coming?" He waved his hand at the phone. He was still quiet-sounding, but his eyes were smiling.  
  
"Matt, and Tai, it seems." Takeru frowned at the offending appliance that had robbed him of his night alone with Dai. "Something's up. Matt's upset, and Tai's trying to find him. He didn't sound too calm himself, either."  
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This wasn't meant to be a cliffhanger. On a side note: did you know that Notepad will only allow approximately 4080 words? I had to cut what I had done, just to finish writing. I didn't want to do chapters, but I'll suffer. They may be cut in odd places, but that will be more to spacing. THERE SHOULDN'T BE CHAPTERS TO BEGIN WITH!!!!!! 


	2. Four's a crowd

Author's note: I'm such a whiner. Please enjoy this. I also happen to turn into a little...pervert? I am queen of innuendos!  
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"Maybe we should make more tea?" The blonde nodded, and walked to the stove. He put more water on, lost in thought. Somebody banged on the door. Dai answered it, being closer.  
  
Once opened, the door was pushed against the wall by a very wet, and very agitated Ishida Yamato. "Where's Takeru?"  
  
"Kitchen." Matt didn't bother to respond as he pushed past him and ran into the back bedroom. The door slammed shut behind him.   
  
"Where's...Matt?" Tai slumped against the door, trying desperately to catch his breath. He had run three miles in fifteen minutes (a/n: That may not seem like much, but the fastest mile that I've ever heard of was four minutes. To run three miles in fifteen minutes means that the runner has to have a lot of stamina, and motivation) to intercept his friend.  
  
"Bedroom" Tai straightened and nodded. He marched to the door, and twisted the knob. It was locked. Daisuke raised his eyebrows, and glanced at Takeru, whose head was poking into the hallway with interest. The other boy shrugged and ducked back into the kitchen.  
  
"Matt!" The older brunette pounded on the door. He still sounded out of breath. "Open the door!" The only reply was silence. "Open it, or I'll go through it!"  
  
"Um, Tai?" Daisuke asked quietly. "Why don't you calm down, and ask a little nicer?" An odd thought, from the source of the advice, but Tai didn't seem to notice. His idol nodded, and took a deep breath, releasing it in a yawn.  
  
"I didn't get a lot of sleep." He looked at the other boy with chagrin. With another breath, he faced the door. "Matt." He started quietly. "OPEN THE DAMN DOOR!" He grinned over his shoulder at Dai, who rolled his eyes. He wasn't the calm type.  
  
"Burn in HELL, Yagami!" Came the muffled reply. Tai hit the door again.  
  
"Tai! If you break that door, my mother will kill you." Takeru stood in the hallway, his arms crossed. Tai glanced at him, and sighed again. "Into the living room." They shuffled past Daisuke, who was watching the whole exchange with amusement. "Will you try talking to Yama? I'll handle Tai."  
  
"Sure." He squared his shoulders and approached the door. He knocked gently. "Matt? Tai's in the other room, Takeru's with him. Can I come in, please?" He sounded calm and reasonable, even to himself.  
  
The door opened silently, and he slipped in, glancing back to make sure that an angry Tai wasn't going to run him over in his haste to get in the room. The hall was empty. He shut the door gently behind him, and leaned back against it.  
  
"Hello, Matt." He spoke quietly, a vast difference from Tai's yelling.  
  
"Davis." The younger teen could hear the musician sniffling, and he could see the tearstains on his cheeks. The only light was from a small lamp on the side table, and it cast more shadows than anything.  
  
"Please, call me Daisuke." He sat next to him on the bed, and laid a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Do you want to talk about it?"  
  
He mumbled something beneath his breath, as his shoulders began to shake from his sobbing.   
  
"What?" Daisuke rubbed his back gently. "I didn't hear that, Matt."  
  
"He -kissed- her!" He pushed off the bed and paced the floor beside the bed. "I saw them in the park. They were talking, and I happened to look down, and when I looked back, she had her arms around his neck, and they were kissing!"  
  
Daisuke was taken aback. For as long as he had known Tai, he would never have thought that he would take advantage of Sora. He doubted it still. "Where were his hands?" Matt looked at him blankly. "Were they around her, or hanging at his sides? If he was kissing her, his arms would have been around her, or gripping her waist. If she was kissing him, and caught him by surprise, then his hands would have been on her arms or shoulders."  
  
"Um...I think that they were on her...shoulders." He said it slowly, pausing in the middle of the floor to remember.   
  
In the living room, Takeru and Tai were sitting on the couch in silence. Finally, Tai sighed, and looked at the younger boy. "I'm pretty sure that the curiosity is killing you right now."   
  
Takeru laughed, and smiled. "Just a little. Matt calls, and then you. And then your both running through the apartment and cussing at each other. That's kind of odd, even for the two of you."  
  
"Sora asked me to meet her in the park, so I did. We've been friends forever, so it wasn't anything unusual. I get there, and she starts crying, telling me how Matt's ignoring her, and doesn't have time for her anymore. A second later, she's telling me she loves me, and trying to jam her tongue down my throat."  
  
Takeru shook his head, his face relaying his disgust. He liked Sora as a friend, but he had never thought that she was good for his brother. "What happened after that?"  
  
"Then I managed to push her away, and I turned around, and there's Matt, running away." Tai slumped back against the couch. "I started to go after him, but Sora wouldn't let go. She gave me a sob story of how she wanted it over between them, but couldn't figure out how to tell him. I listened, called her a 'selfish, overbearing bitch', and left her in the rain."  
  
"Ouch." Takeru pushed his hat back on his head a little farther, and then pulled the brim down again. "I don't think that she'll be running to you for advice anytime soon."  
  
"I don't think so, either. Now, I just have to figure out how to tell Matt that I'm sorry, and it's not my fault. I don't want to lose him over her." He growled in frustration, and slouched farther into the cushions. "I don't know what I'd do without him."  
  
The young blonde looked at him for a moment, thinking something through in his head. With sudden insight, he looked at Tai. "Why haven't you told him that you're in love with him?"  
  
"Because he's been with Sora, duh." Tai rolled his eyes at him, then blinked. "How did you know?" He didn't bother denying it, not after his slipup.  
  
"When you think about it, you haven't exactly taken great pains to hide it. If somebody wanted to look, the clues are all there. I'm surprised that he hasn't figured it out."   
  
"Figured what out?" Dai sat on the arm of the couch, crossing his arms over his chest as he did so.  
  
"Nothing. So?" Taker stood up, and waved his hand in the general direction of Matt.  
  
"He's upset, which is self-evident. But he's thinking, which is good for Tai. He's not quite ready to face you, yet, but give him a bit." Dai slid down next to his older counterpart, grinning as he did so. "Who's the man? With a few well-spoken words, this genius has managed to save both your life, and your friendship." The other two just looked at him.  
  
"Uh, thanks?" Tai just shook his head. "How long should I wait before I go talk to him?"  
  
"How about...now?" Matt looked at them from the hallway. He walked slowly to a chair, and sat down. With a sigh, he met Tai's brown eyes. "I'm sorry, Taichi. I should have had more faith in you, and I shouldn't have run away."  
  
"That's cool, Yama. I'm sorry about today. I wish I could lie, so that everything could be good between you and Sora, but I'm not gonna do that to our friendship. She kissed me. I wasn't expecting it, and I didn't push her away fast enough. I'm sorry."  
  
"If you apologize anymore, Taichi, I'm going to take your temperature." Matt smiled at his lame attempt at lightening the mood. That was normally Tai's job. Takeru took over.  
  
"I think that Mom would object if she were here, since the only thermometer we have is rectal." Three pairs of eyes swung to him, and he smiled blandly at them all. With a shrug, he winked at his brother. "I think you two should take this conversation into another room."  
  
Tai was the first to laugh. "Let's go, Yamato." Matt looked at him for a moment, trying to decide the least embarrassing course of action. Tai didn't give him a chance to think, just grabbed his hand, and pulled him into the back of the apartment with him. "No gutter-thoughts, T.K. We're just talking, so you can keep the thermometer."  
  
Takeru and Tai grinned at each other secretly, a glance that was caught only by Daisuke, since Matt was being dragged away. The older teens disappeared, leaving Takeru once again alone with Daisuke. The blonde was beginning to like that phrase.  
  
Alone with Daisuke. Oh, yeah. He didn't notice the silly grin on his face until Dai pulled the hat off his head, hit him with it, and then dropped it back over his mussed hair. He mock glared at the auburn-haired boy, his blue eyes sparkling.  
  
"What was that for, goggles?" He framed it as half insult, half inquiry.  
  
"You were staring, Gilligan. Didn't your mother ever tell you that that isn't polite?" They were at opposite ends of the couch, grinning like idiots, oblivious to the fact that they were acting like idiots.  
  
"Are you going to teach me manners, Mr. Burping-is-a-sign-of-appreciation? Or will I be taught a lesson from the Master of the Musical Armpit? (a/n: I can see Dai doing that) Or, better yet, will the man who trained Veemon cheesy pickup lines please stand-up."  
  
Daisuke glared at him, unable to come up with a suitable reply. Finally, in a huff from his lack of originality, he stuck his tongue out at Takeru. "My pickup lines weren't that bad."  
  
The blonde laughed, watching as the other teen lookd away. "Really? How about, 'Hey, Gatomon, if the cat's got your tongue, you can use mine'?" Dai blushed, and Takeru laughed harder. "Or, my favorite, 'When the tough get going, why don't you and I stay here, and get naked'?"  
  
The brunette sighed, and looked at Takeru with feigned patience. "Are you going to sit around all night, insulting me, Gilligan, or are we going to find something to do?" The question was innocent enough, but Takeru felt the effect in parts of his body that made him uncomfortable. He could think of some things that would pass the time.   
  
He jumped up, and practically ran to the kitchen, leaving a stunned Daisuke on his couch.  
  
"How about a game of cards, Dai?" He rummaged through a drawer, looking desperately for ideas, ignoring the amount of blood that had vacated his cheeks for...other places.  
  
"Sure. What ya got?" He nearly collided with the shorter teen, having failed to see him enter the room in his anxiety attack. "I can play poker, euchre, rummy, pinochle, canasta, bridge, and old maid. As well as speed, war, and solitaire."  
  
Takeru looked at him, impressed despite himself, at Dai's seeming list of card-playing accomplishments. "Uh, how about..." He trailed off, not able to remember what games that he knew.  
  
"Egyptian Rat-Screw!" He turned to Tai in the doorway. Matt was sitting back in the living room, in his earlier chair. "I know that you both know how to play that!" They agreed, and followed him back into the living room when he grabbed the cards from Takeru, and ran off to join Matt.  
  
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End note: Egyptian Rat Screw is a game that some friends taught me. Basically, you slap at a pile of cards and try to be fastest. It's fun, and kind if interesting. If anyone wants the rules, email me: raegan_1@hotmail.com. Just think of it as a type of screwed up Slap-Jack. 


	3. A change of plans

Author's note: Part three. Hooray *said in monotone*. And here is where Rae shows everyone else how screwed up her mind truly is. If you object to bad language, embarrasing sexual slipups and situations, and male/male relations, then you should leave now. It was really hard, behaving during the last part, but I tried to tone it down, so that more people would review. The rest of this may not fair so well. I like to embarass myself and others. It's an amusing hobby.  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own it. Don't wanna, don't have to, will not!  
  
Warning:Yaoi. Previous warnings apply, as well as the warnings in the a/n at the beginning.  
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Author: Rae (penname)  
Title: Weekend Rain  
Content: Yaoi. Geez, can anyone guess the couples? Sarcasm is a habit.  
  
"Last time we played this, you almost broke my fingers, Tai." Daisuke and Tai were sitting on opposite sides of the coffee table, Takeru on Dai's left, Matt on the right.  
  
"It's not my fault you didn't move your hand back fast enough." Tai removed the rubberband that was holding the cards and began to shuffle them like a professional dealer. The other three were unimpressed. His playing skills weren't half as good, and it was many a game that Tai walked away having lost.  
  
"It's not who hits the cards the hardest that wins, but who taps the pile first." Matt and Takeru snickered as Tai and Dai glared at each other over the table.  
  
"Watch, Motomiya, or there will be no 'almost' this time." He began dealing the cards, splitting the deck into four piles. Each of the teens grabbed a stack, and the game began with Matt. It was uneventful at first, and then Dai reached out suddenly and covered the cards with his hand. Tai's hand slammed down on it.  
  
"Dammit, Tai!" Dai grimaced as he pulled the cards toward him, and then inspected his hand. The back of it was red. The blondes hid their laughs behind badly faked coughs, and Dai took a moment to glare at the both of them. With a smug look at Tai, he placed his next card on the table, and play continued.  
  
The next hand to reach out to tap the pile was Matt's, and again, Tai slammed his down on it. He barely stopped himself from killing it as he had Dai's, but Matt only raised an eyebrow, and claimed his cards.   
  
The game continued for a while longer, with Tai continuely trying to crush Dai's hand when he reached out first. "Yagami Taichi, if you slam your hand down one more time, I won't be responsible for my actions."  
  
The two brunettes were glaring at each other again, Dai holding his sore hand gingerly. Tai opened his mouth to retort, but Matt was giving him a look that didn't bode well for him. "I'm sorry, Davis."  
  
"Dai."  
  
"Whatever. I'm sorry, -Dai-. I'll stop being an ass."   
  
"That's a seventeen year habit you're trying to break. Are you sure you can manage it?" Matt grinned slyly at his friend. Tai gave a putout sigh, and then grinned.   
  
"About as well as you've done, I imagine." They grinned at each other, in quite the same manner as Takeru and Daisuke had done earlier.  
  
"Get a room, guys." Takuru laid a card down. Tai went, then Matt, and then Dai. The game resumed. Eventually, Tai ran out of cards, predictably first. Matt was next. They watched as Dai and Takeru flipped cards, trying to finish the game up quickly.   
  
"If you let me win, we'll play whatever you want next." Dai tried to sweeten the deal when he realized that their stacks were the same size.   
  
"Don't be making promises that include us, Dai. We're picking the next game."  
Matt and Tai were on the couch, waiting with little patience for the game to end. There wasn't much else to do, except count the cracks in the ceiling. Watching Takeru and Dai trying to outmatch each other was more amusing, especially since Takeru kept slapping Dai's hand much as Tai had done. There was no doubt that his hand would be bruised later.  
  
Finally, Dai played his last card, and Takeru slapped the pile. Game over. "Okay, what is there to..." Someone pounded on the door. Daisuke and Takeru rolled their eyes, and Matt stood up to answer it. Cody frowned at him, and then bowed.  
  
"Is Takeru here?" His voice was quiet and subdued. Matt waved him into the apartment.   
  
"Iori?" Takeru stood, as did Daisuke. Tai remained on the couch. "What's up?"  
  
The youngest of the digi-destined looked at the others for a moment, and then shrugged. "It's Hikari." That caught Tai's attention.  
  
"What's wrong with her?" He jumped up and towered over his sister's boyfriend. "Is she okay?" Iori shrank under his scrutiny, and crossed to Takeru.  
  
"Can I talk to you, in privacy?" Tai growled, and was pushed back onto the couch by Matt. To keep him sitting, the blonde had to keep pressure on his shoulders. "She's okay, Taichi. She's not in trouble or anything."  
  
The jogress partners disappeared into the kitchen, where Takeru poured him a cup of tea, and sat him at the table. "What's up, Iori?"  
  
"We were having dinner at that takeout place down from her place. We were just talking, and then she asked me if..." He swallowed and closed his eyes. "She asked me if I wanted out. If I wanted to see other people. I told her 'no', and laughed it off, but then she put her hand over mine, and asked me if I was certain."  
  
Takeru rubbed his temple, wishing that he could start the day over. Things had started out so well. "And what did you say?"  
  
"I told her that I was positive, and she just looked at me. And then it hit me. She wanted out, but was trying to save my feelings. So...I got kind of mad, and told her that 'maybe we should take a break.' And I threw my money on the counter, and left."  
  
"Ouch." Takeru looked at him sympathetically, and sighed. "You should call her, and apologize, and then ask to talk to her. Ask her if she wants out. Tell her how you feel, and if she doesn't return it, then you'll know. One way or another, this has to be figured out now."  
  
"Thanks, Takeru. I appreciate it. Sorry to have come over hear and probably ruined your evening."  
  
"It's fine, Iori-kun. We were just playing cards." There was a knock at the door, and Takeru hit his head against the table, and groaned. Dai, who was still standing, opened it. Matt and Tai looked up from an argument about hair products.   
  
Eyes red, sniffling, and holding an overnight bag, Hikari walked in. "Is Takeru here?" Without a word, Dai enfolded her in a hug as she burst into sobs. Takeru and Iori walked out of the kitchen in time to see Tai pull her into his arms.  
  
"Kari-chan, princess. Stop crying, little sister. I'm here, it's okay. Sshh." He rubbed her back and lead her to the couch. Matt moved over as brother and sister sat down. Tai glared at Iori over her head. She hadn't noticed that he was there yet.   
  
"It looks as if she doesn't want out." Takeru looked at Iori, who seemed near tears himself. He approached his girlfriend cautiously, glancing warely at her brother. Matt stood up so that Iori could sit next to her. He put a hand out gently, and she stilled. With a sniff, she pulled away from Tai far enough that she could see behind her. Iori kept his hand on her back. He held out his arms, and she flung herself into them. He held her close as a tear slipped down his own cheek.  
  
"I'm sorry, Hika-chan. I'm so sorry." Iori whispered into her hair, his hand caressing her head and back in continous, comforting strokes. "I didn't mean it. I didn't. I want nothing more than to be with you."  
  
Tai stood up from the couch, took one look at the three gawkers, and started herding them all to the door.. "Let's give them a little privacy, 'kay." He didn't give them a chance to respond, just shoved them into the hallway and shut the door.  
  
"Bloody hell, Tai! You just locked us out of my apartment! I don't have my keys!" Matt stood with his hands on his hips and glowered at him.  
  
"Quit your bitching, Yama. I have a spare key, remember?" He rolled his eyes and walked toward the elevator, muttering under his breath about 'that time of month' and 'girly mood swings'. The blonde was hot on his heels, Takeru and Daisuke left to bring up the rear.  
  
"What was that, Yagami? Why don't you come say that to my face?" The loaded into the elevator, Tai and Matt facing off, and the younger two in opposite corners to watch the fight.   
  
"I -said-. Get over -that time of month-, and stop with the girly mood swings, before I kick your ass, Ishida!"  
  
"Let's go, hair-boy! I'd like to see you -try-." They were nose-to-nose, waiting for the other to strike first, when the sound of laughter interrupted the two of them. They both turned their glares to Daisuke, while Takeru watched in concern for his friend.  
  
"The two of you!" The one's in question moved into identical stances, arms crossing over their chests. "Have you guys ever heard of repressed hormones?"  
  
The elevator binged, and the doors opened, allowing the goggle-wearing brunette to make a quick escape. Matt seemed to choke on his tongue as Tai blushed and followed is younger counterpart out. Matt was the last to leave, barely making it out before the doors shut.  
  
"Nice one, Dai!" Takeru slapped him on the shoulder, and they had a laugh at the expense of the other's. "Now what are we going to do?" He looked at the other two for suggestions.  
  
"Not a clue. I didn't really have a plan in mind, other than leaving those two a chance to work it out." Tai shrugged, and ran a hand through his hair. He had recovered faster than Matt.  
  
"I have an idea." They all looked at Daisuke, uncertain if they really wanted to listen to one of his schemes. His ideas were notorious for turning out bad. What other choice did they have?  
  
"What?" Tai asked suspisciously (a/n: that is spelled correctly, but it looks wrong, doesn't it?)  
  
"There's another game that I heard of, and knowing you guys, we could play." He sounded hesitant, an uncommon event for him.  
  
"Just spill it, Dai." Yamato encouraged, none too gently. Takeru gave him a look that told him he'd been spending too much time with Tai, lately.   
  
"Well, we rate things on a scale of one to ten, and then try to win by gaining the most points."  
  
"What type of scale?" Takeru looked at him with with distrust.  
  
"Well...a scale of embarrassing situations." Three pairs of eyes just looked at him blankly. "Think of it like Truth and Dare, but without the Truth part. Somebody comes up with an embarrassing situation, we rate it, and then whoever goes through with it gets the points."  
  
They looked at each other, and Matt nearly groaned when he saw a familiar glint in Tai's eyes. "Sounds fun. Let's go!" That look never meant good things for the blonde.  
  
Daisuke grinned as both blondes slowly nodded in agreement. "Cool! The best place to play would be the mall. Lot's of people, lot's of options." His grin was predatory as he marched out, leading the group.   
  
Takeru looked at his older brother. "How come I have a feeling that I'm going to regret this?" Matt looked at him in understanding, his blue eyes a mirror to the uncertainty in his siblings.  
  
"Probably because we will."  
  
Tai came up, and put a friendly arm around Matt. "Don't worry, Yama. I'm here. There's nothing to be concerned about." He grinned as Matt audibly groaned.  
  
"How come that's not very reassuring?"   
________________________  
  
End note: Fun games, huh? This was a lot different that I wanted it to be, but I like some of what I put in here. I HAVE A PLAN! Hopefully, all the details will work themselves out in another couple of chapters. This was really supposed to be a short, one-chapter deal, but they just ran away with me. Now it's 6000+ words, and growing.   
  
Please, tell me what you think. If you like, then please review. Any ideas? Email me at raegan_1@hotmail.com. Thanks for reading.  
  
Egyptian Rat-screw: Take a deck of fifty-two playing cards. You should have more than two players, preferably, but it will work with two.   
  
The deck is split as evenly as possible between all players. First player is random, but play goes around to their left.  
  
They lay a card down. anything between 2 and 10 just signals that the next person goes. If the next card is the same as the one previously played, then the first person to slap the pile picks up those cards, and any under them. EXAMPLE: JACK LAYS DOWN A 3. JILL LAYS DOWN A 3. MARTIN SLAPS THE PILE, AND GETS ALL THE CARDS. It doesn't matter who played what, just who slaps it first.  
  
There is what is called a sandwich. It plays as follows. JACK PLAYS A 3. JILL LAYS A 4. MARTIN LAYS A 3. JILL SLAPS THE PILE. Okay?  
  
Next come the face cards. JACK, QUEEN, KING, and ACE. Whenever one of these cards are played, special rules follow.  
  
JACK: If a JACK is played, the next player has one chance to turn up another face card. If they fail to do so, then the player that laid the JACK gets to pick up the pile.  
  
QUEEN: Same as when the JACK is played, except the next player gets two chances to lay a face card.  
  
KING: Same as JACK, except the next player has three chances to play a face card.  
  
ACE: Same as before, but with four chances to play a face card.  
  
If the next player does play a face card, then the one after them as that many chances, according to the card, to play another face card. This goes until the next person who runs out of chances before they play a face card.  
  
EXAMPLE: JACK LAYS A QUEEN. JILL LAYS A 2, AND THEN A 3. JACK PICKS UP THE PILE. HE PLAYS A 6. JILL PLAYS A JACK. MARTIN PLAYS AN ACE. JACK PLAYS A 3, A 2, AND A JACK. JILL PLAYS A 8. JACK PICKS UP THE PILE.  
  
The winner is decided when all but one player run out of cards.  
  
I hope that anyone who wanted to know the rules is now pleased.  
  
And for Nanaki, the Lioness: Slapjack is another card game played with a deck of fifty-two, where the deck is again split up between players. The game goes around in a circle until somone places a JACK on the table. The first person to hit it, gets the pile. The winner is the last person with cards. 


	4. Foot-in-mouth syndrome

Author's note: This should be interesting. I know where I want this to go, but, so far, they keep running off into different directions when I get them almost there. It's like walking backwards up a slide. The closer you get to the top, the more you seem to slide back down. Should anyone have found this chapter completely out of place and out of sync with the rest of the story so far, please feel free to say so.  
  
Disclaimer: I, being of unstable mind and body, do hereby claim ownership of the following items: my car, my computer, my radio, and a cool pair of pants that I keep trying to kill myself with.  
  
Warning: Yaoi, and my easily amused brain.  
  
___________________________  
  
Author: Rae (penname)  
Title: Weekend Rain  
Content: Read above warning and previous notes.  
  
By the time they got to the mall on foot, another hour of fighting had passed in the rain. Matt had spent that time hoping that somebody would come up with a better plan, and that his hair wouldn't be permanently damaged. Takeru was wishing for a video camera and looking forward to this new game. Tai was trying to come up with his first attempt at embarrassing himself.  
  
"First thing's first." Announced Daisuke as they stepped into the air-conditioned building in their wet clothes. He approached the information desk and gave the woman behind it his most disarming grin. "May I have a pen and paper, please?"  
  
She smiled back, impressed by the polite young man in front of her. "Of course, dear. Here you are." Takeru rolled his eyes. He, at least, was impervious to that look, though he knew that his own brother had fallen for it once, when they were at a soccer game and Dai had wanted a hot dog.  
  
"What's that for?" Tai asked curiously as the younger brunette wrote each of their names down on the paper.   
  
"This is how we keep track. For every trick one of us pulls, the other three rate it, and we accumulate scores. The scale is one to ten, ten being the most embarrassing."  
  
"How do we know when to stop?" Matt took the paper from Dai's hands, then the pen. With a sheepish grin, the latter shrugged. "How about a time limit then? We'll stop in..."  
  
"Two hours!" Tai supplied. The others agreed. They began to wander in a seemingly random pattern among the shops, Daisuke in the lead. He stoppd and motioned for them to wait a moment. He walked off, and Takeru turned to his brother.   
  
"You do realize that this isn't fair, right? Daisuke manages to embarrass himself ten times a day without trying. Last week, in the hall, he slid on a spot on the floor where someone had spit, and went flying through the glass trophy case by the gym. He ended up with one of the trophy cups stuck on his elbow. Then, when they got him out, they found out that the gum he'd been chewing had stuck between his hair and the wall."  
  
The story, though unsurprising to the other two that had known the boy for several years, managed to catch Tai's attention in the gentle and affectionate tone that Takeru used when speaking of his friend. It resembled, slightly, the way that he oftimes spoke of Yamato when he was with his sister, or Takeru. Yet, it was softer somehow, but whether that was age, or a deeper emotion, he couldn't tell.  
  
There was a difference between loving someone, and being in love with them. He was 'in love' with Yamato.  
  
They looked up as yelling across the store they were in alerted them to the fact that Daisuke had started his turn. They ran up, then stopped short as Daisuke jumped on top of a glass case, muddy shoes and all, and began to speak loudly.  
  
"And I tell -you-. Yes, -you-! I tell you all that this is the true evil!" He held up a fur-lined purse, waving it in the air. "The slaughter of defenseless animals, for the sheer perfect fashion disaster! Fur is out of fashion! Get with it, people! It's leather. Black leather, and dark accessories. Get with the fad wagon now! Or you're all doomed! Doomed, I say!"   
  
He jumped down, sat the purse on the counter, and walked past them on his way out of the store. He left a stunned clerk and disgruntled manager in his wake, as the customers slowly closed their mouths and let their eyes grow small again.  
  
"That was at least a seven." Takeru fell into step next to Daisuke.  
  
"Nah, that was barely a three." Tai argued from behind them. Matt was too busy trying to duck his head out of sight as Tai grabbed his shirt collar to keep him with them.   
  
"Matt? What do you think?" The blonde just glared as Dai asked. "Okay, then. My score's a five. Who's next?" Tai looked at Takeru, who looked at his brother, who was silently plotting ways of killing a certain auburn-haired trouble maker. "Come on, guys! It's really not that difficult. Start small."  
  
"What, exactly, constitutes 'small'?" Takeru asked cautiously. Daisuke thought for a moment.  
  
"Small would be tripping, slipping, kissing, and snorting in public. Medium would include...a groping session, knocking a big display over, making a loud and useless public announcement, and wearing an umbrella hat in the middle of summer."   
  
"Then what's big?" The four paused outside the doors of a toy store. Tai had asked the question.  
  
"I'm not telling you guys anymore. Just, be creative, and try to have fun." Simple enough advice, from his point of veiw. "Oh, and you can, like, use the others without their permission, but they get points, too."  
  
"So, we not only get to embarrass ourselves, but each other as well?" For Matt, the day kept getting worse and worse. Daisuke nodded with a grin. "Then I'm next." That surprised all of them. Matt was actually going to play along.  
  
He pulled Tai into the middle of the quadrangle amongst the shoppers running this way and that. Daisuke looked at Takeru. "I thought your brother would kill me before he played along."  
  
"I thought so, too. It almost worries me that he's volunteering to go."   
  
With a determined stride, Matt made sure they were almost exactly centered between the nearest shops. Earlier, he and Tai had started to have a conversation, but Tai had finangled his way out of it. He wouldn't be so lucky again. They were going to discuss the events of that afternoon, if Ishida Yamato had to embarrass them both to do it.  
  
Tai wanted to sink through the pavement. After nearly a decade of being the best of friends, and almost as long a time in love with the blonde, he could read the determination emanating from the teen pulling him through the throngs of people. The expression on his face didn't bode well for Tai.  
  
In a loud voice, Matt started to yell at Tai, and the two younger teens that had stayed behind could hear them in the sudden silence their little display created.  
  
"WHY DID YOU KISS HER?" Tai looked around as the people nearby stopped and turned to them. "WHAT DID YOU HOPE TO ACCOMPLISH?"  
  
"I didn't kiss her, Yamato." He said it quietly, not quite figuring the reason behind his best friends sudden actions. "I thought you knew that."  
  
"No, I didn't, -Taichi-! Remember, you didn't bother to talk to me today. You chased me down, spoke to my brother, told me that meeting had been her idea, and then you ran back to T.K. and Dai. How am I supposed to know anything from that?"  
  
His voice was lower, but still loud enough to attract unwanted attention. "I didn't kiss her. She kissed me, and I did't have a chance to stop her until after you were running away. I pushed her away and tried to find you."  
  
A new voice interrupted. "But you told me you loved me, Taichi! You told me that Yama didn't deserve me, and that you'd take care of me." Matt gave a strangled gasp as Sora walked up and looked at Tai with tears in her eyes. He turned fiery blue eyes to Tai, who was looking at the girl with a startled and confused expression.  
  
He pulled his arm away when she reached out to grab it, and turned a worried gaze to Matt. He was looking at the two of them as if he didn't know which one to kill first. Takeru and Daisuke pushed through the expectant crowd with difficulty. They were watching the unfolding drama with renewed interest. They shoved past a large man as Matt asked, "Are you in love with her?"  
  
"Yes!" Sora shouted as she once again tried to grab him. He sighed and shook his head as he evaded her grasp.  
  
"No, Yama." He looked away, his disappointment evident. Matt didn't see it, but Takeru and Daisuke did, and understood its cause. His best friend was questioning him, grilling him as if he were untrustworthy, as if he didn't know better than to believe that Tai would do such a thing to hurt him. "It was never Sora."  
  
"Then who?" Matt asked angrily. "You broke my heart today, Yagami Taichi! At least prove to me that it wasn't with her."  
  
Given time, and a less strained situation, and they might have realized exactly what Matt had said. But, as it was, neither noticed his slip, too lost up in the pain. "Don't ask that of me, Yama. Please." Brown eyes met blue with a pleading look that was ignored.  
  
"Tell me who, Tai. If not with my girlfriend, who are you in love with?" Daisuke and Takeru looked at each other grimly as two best friends faced off in an arguement that could ultimately ruin their bond. For Tai, being stubborn was an obvious flaw, or trait, depending on your point of veiw. Matt could share that characteristic, and was trying in spades to prove it.  
  
The were in a large circle of people now, Sora pushed the the edge of the group, Daisuke and the younger blonde standing to the side, but close enough should they be needed. "Why are you pushing this, Yamato? Sora's yours if you want her. I've told you before, I don't care for her like that. I'm sorry about what happened today, but she's lying when she says that I started it. I would never hurt you like that, even should I have loved her."  
  
"Right, Taich. And the fact that you two were inseperable before we started going out? That was you not being in love with her?" Sarcasm dripped from his words, his eyes cold and resolved. "Simply tell me who, then. If you can name off one person with a semblance of sincerity, then I'll get down on my knees and beg you to forgive me."   
  
"You want the honest-to-goodness truth, Yamato?" A nod affirmed that. "Then here it is." Tai pushed his face up into Matt's so that their noses were almost touching. They stared at each other, Tai a pained, angry gaze, and Matt with his anger and an expectancy of pain. "I have only ever loved one person in this world, Yamato. I started out being in love, then realized that that phrase, 'to be in love', was overused, and actually quite immature at times. You feel jealousy and envy towards a person you're 'in love' with. I realized that it was beyond that."  
  
He swallowed nervously, but kept his voice steady. "I realized that to love someone was to put their happiness before you're own, whether they knew the sacrifice you made, or not. To watch the person you love go through each day totally oblivious to how you feel is the hardest thing that I've ever had to deal with. And keeping silent, especially for me, was -so damn- hard, Yama. Can you realize how hard it is to watch the person you love love another? Love someone who you know doesn't share their depth of emotion, but who makes them happy? It hurts!"  
  
His hands curled into fist, and he clenched his teeth momentarily. "It hurts, Yamato. But I've done that everyday for four years. I've watched kisses and caresses, dried the tears, been the rock that kept everything together. But my world fell apart, and no-one was there to pick up the pieces. I died the day you told me that you were going out with Sora."  
  
The pain that flashed through Matt's eyes cut at Tai, but he continued. Takeru had gone to stand beside the brunette, and Daisuke had stepped up beside Yamato. Tai went on. "You thought I was 'in love' with her because we spent a lot of time together. In a way, you could have been right. Closeness can breed affection. But you forgot something rather important. I spent everyday with -you-. We were together for nearly twelve hours a day, every day, Yamato, and you never knew. Yes, I loved my best friend, but she was never that to me, not since we came back the first time."  
  
Sudden understanding seemed to dawn, and Matt gasped. Tai put a hand to his cheek, gently touching the pale skin. "I've only ever loved one person in this world the way I love you, Yama. How could think that I would do something to hurt you?" He moved his hand away and stepped back. "How could you lose your faith in me?"  
  
With that parting question, Tai turned and walked throught the crowd as people parted the way for him. Their was almost complete silence as Matt stared after him. Takeru looked at his brother, and then Daisuke. An imperceptible nod, and the redhead touched Matt's arm as Takeru took off after the brunette, pushing through the crowd that had closed in again.  
__________________________  
  
End note: I suck, don't I? /evil grin/. Cliffhanger. Kill me later, after I finish my work of art /rolls eyes at egotistical self/. Anyways. I hope that everyone's having fun so far. If you like this, please review at some point in time. If you have any ideas, put it in the review, or email me at raegan_1@hotmail.com.  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	5. Fix-it kit

Author's note: This is part five. I just thought that everyone should know. More Taito fun. Little, itsy-bitsy Takedai reference, one-sided. Look really, really hard.  
  
Dislcaimer: Don't own.   
  
Warning: Yaoi. Taito, which is progressing faster than the Daikeru/Takedai part. Cussing, bad language. Nice, but not brilliant, Sora.  
  
__________________________  
  
Author: Rae (penname)  
Title: Weekend Rain  
Content: Yaoi, and bad language  
  
Matt stared at the retreating back of his best friend in stunned silence. Eventually, the crowd around him dispersed, and the mall resumed its noisy status. He simply stood there, staring at the space where his brother and Tai had disappeared around a corner. Dai stood with him, not saying anything.  
  
"I fucked up, didn't I?" He asked the younger teen bluntly.   
  
Dai smiled slightly. "Oh, yeah. You put me to shame." He touched the blonde's arm gently and started them toward the exit. "The question is: what are you going to do to fix it?"  
  
Blue eyes glanced at him sharply. "Why should I want to fix it? I'm better off without that fag around, anyway!" That earned him a harsh look from two men passing by, hand-in-hand. He looked away guiltily.   
  
"If you truly believed that, Matt, I'd have to kick your ass." Daisuke said it kindly, as if he was offering to help him wash the dishes. "As it is, I'm refraining from doing so for the pain you just caused my idol. I don't think that he'd appreciate the effort."  
  
Matt stopped suddenly. "He said he loved me." That thought seemed to stun him for a moment. He was broken out of his trance by a voice behind him.  
  
"Yamato?" Both teens turned to face Sora, who was following them. "I'm sorry. Sorry I lied, sorry that I put you both through all this." She paused. "But you see, I knew. I knew that he loved you, and that if he didn't tell you soon, he'd do something drastic. I was going to tell him to go ahead today, but I saw you at the last second and poured out a bunch of lies and kissed him. I thought that, maybe if you saw us together, you'd realize that you loved him, too."  
  
They looked at her, frowning. Daisuke shook his head. "That was stupid. You had to know that they'd fight, and that Matt would be pissed."  
  
"I did. But they always work things out better when they argue. It's kind of the building block of their friendship that they disagree so much. It helps when you can see that they understand and respect each other. I always thought that they secretly disliked each other, then I began to realize that they didn't know how to deal with each other any other way. There's this...fire, this spark between them that ignites, and I began to think that it could ge something other that animosity."  
  
"As in, we've been lusthing after each other without realizing it for years?" Matt supplied. She nodded. "This was your way of hooking us up?" He asked incredously. Again, she nodded. "Damn it, Sora, why didn't you just break up with me and tell me all of this?"  
  
"I knew that you'd never admit to having feelings for him if you thought that he'd reject you. You asked me out because I was a safe bet, Matt. You knew that I'd say 'yes'. With him, there was always a chance that instead of kissing you senseless, he'd beat the shit out of you."  
  
"And now that Tai's admitted how he feels, you can do what you should, and go find him." Daisuke gave him a pointed look. "You can start by going back to Takeru's with me. He went with him and will hopefully lead him back there. With any luck, we won't have a reversal of earlier, and he'll be ready to talk to you."  
  
Matt nodded and started to walk away, but stopped. Over his shoulder, he spoke to Sora. "I'm not certain if I can forgive you for going about this the way you did, but I would like to thank you for getting all this out in the open. No matter how it ends, I wouldn't know that he loves me if it wasn't for you."  
  
"Good luck, Yamato. Let me know when you figure it out, okay?" She didn't wait for an answer before she, too, lost herself in the throngs of people around them.  
  
"Now that we're all hunky-dory, what are you going to do?" Daisuke asked as Matt started for the exit again.  
  
"I don't know, what do you suggest?"  
  
"Me? I suggest asking someone else. Any plan of mine is doomed to failure. Look at the result of my game. Maybe Takeru will come up with something."  
  
Matt let the selfmockery in Daisuke's voice go for the moment. "Since when do you call him by his full name." Dai's step faltered. "Just wondering. You can call me Yamato, if you like."  
  
Daisuke looked at him in surprise. "Thanks." He said it softly, smiling to himself. "Why?"  
  
"Because you're a good person. You remind me of Taichi, but you're truly unique, also. You were there for me earlier, and you stuck by me now. Whether you wanted to or not, you made a friend in me, Motomiya Daisuke. I don't take my loyalties lightly, either. If you ever need my help, don't be afraid to ask."  
  
That caused Daisuke to stop and stare at him in amazement. He opened his mouth several times in an attempt to say something, but ended up shaking his head. "Truly?" It was the best he could manage. The blonde nodded with a gently amused smile. "Thank you very much, Ishida Yamato. And if there's ever anything I can do to help you, just say the word."  
  
"Good. Now come up with a plan." Yamato nodded decisively, and pulled Daisuke with him out to the parking lot where it was still raining. If it had ever looked as if the world was going to be flooded, that storm was it.  
  
Daisuke didn't struggle against the forceful tugging on his arm, but that didn't stop him from arguing. "That's really not a good idea. I have a knack for screwing things up worse. With my luck, I'll have you wed to Kari, and Tai to Takeru."  
  
"Will you stop already with the self-loathing?" He didn't stop as he laid into the younger teen. "You're an intelligent person, Dai, with a lot going for you. So what if you have bad luck. Everyone does. It doesn't mean that everything you do turns out bad. Give it a chance, and you'll see. I know that whatever you come up with will work. Have faith that I know what I'm talking about, if nothing else."  
  
They continued threw the storm in silence, both working on their plan of attack in their own fashions.  
  
  
  
Takeru wasn't having as much luck with Tai's ego as Matt was with Dai's.   
  
"Come on, Tai! It won't be that bad. You and Matt are best friends, he won't hate you!" This was yelled through the same bedroom door that Yamato and Taichi had spoken through earlier. Under his breath, Takeru muttered. "Why do they always hide in her room? It would be so much easier to go to my room, especially since I know where the key is."  
  
He could hear the loud sobbing through the wood panelling. It was a heartbreaking/heartbroken sound. Each sob was followed by a sharp inhalation, a gasping of breath through tortured lungs. Then the exhale, a broken, coughing sound that sounded painful and distorted.   
  
"Taichi, please! Let me in! You need someone, you can't take this all on yourself and try to bury it! You've done that for too long, already!" There was a pause between the sob and the gasp, and he heard the lock click. He turned the knob, and gently pushed the door open. The crumpled form of his friend lay in the middle of the floor, shaking.  
  
He closed the distance between them quickly and pulled Tai into his arms. The brunette wrapped his arms around his waist and cried into his shoulder, his tears making no difference on the already wet material. They had walked from the mall, and Takeru didn't expect his brother to be too far behind them. They had walked in on Iori and Hikari making out in his living room, but Tai hadn't even spared them a glance. Takeru had sent them on their way with assurances that he could, and would, deal with it.  
  
He wished that Hikari had stayed. With a gentle touch, he smoothed wild hair back and whispered nonsensical words meant to calm and comfort. After several minutes, the sobbing quieted down. "There now. Shh. Everything's going to be okay, Taichi."  
  
"How would you know?" The question was low, forced through a raw throat. Pain and bitterness etched their ways into each syllable.  
  
"Because I, too, have loved someone who I thought couldn't possibly love me back." Tai pulled back slightly and looked at him in surprise. "Yeah, I know, I'm too young, blah blah."  
  
"Love doesn't have an age limit. I just never would have thought that you'd find someone who couldn't love you." As romantic and sweet as that was, Takeru knew that Tai was as biased towards him as Matt was, simply because he had become like a younger sibling, the same as Hikari.   
  
Takeru smiled gently. "I couldn't stop myself. And it's not like he hates me, or anything. It's just that he's never looked on me as anything but a friend. I can live with that, as long as he doesn't cut me off from his life. If he's still my friend, I can live without him loving me like that."  
  
The brunette smiled. "He?" Pale cheeks blushed, and Tai flipped his hat off dry blonde hair. "That's a really mature attitude to have, T.K. I'll have to start calling you Takeru just because such wise words have never come from T.K.'s lips." Takeru rolled his eyes.  
  
"You're just envious because I'm smarter than you." He made his voice petulant and whiny. For added effect, he stuck his tongue out.  
  
"Whatever." Tai froze as they heard the outside door open and click shut. "Why don't you go say 'hi', and lock the door on your way out."  
  
"You have to face him sometime." Takeru pointed out wisely as he stood up.  
  
Tai nodded. "I know, but that doesn't mean that sometime has to be now." His voice was pained, his eyes pleading.  
  
"I'm not going to stop him, Taichi. I know that he's not going to hurt you. You asked him where his faith in you had gone. Where's your faith in him?"  
  
That earned him a shamed silence. He smiled softly and backed out of the room. Behind him, he heard Tai mumble, "At the mall." 


	6. Dai's plan turns to sap

Author's note: Is anyone in a really big hurry for this to be over, or should I just let this go naturally. Part three and four are what happen when I rush. One, two, and five are the natural rate of progression. Which do you prefer? In this part, everything goes wrong.   
  
Dislcaimer: Don't own.  
  
Warning: Yaoi, Taito fluff/angst, and eventual, hopefully, Takedai (one-sided). This isn't the end.   
______________________  
  
Author: Rae (penname)  
Title: Weekend Rain  
Content: Turmoil and yaoi.  
  
By the time they reached Takeru's apartment building, Daisuke had a plan.  
  
"Let's call Ken." He shot Matt a beseeching gaze that the blonde rolled his eyes at.  
  
"That's not plan, that's a copout. Try again." He was openly laughing at the disgusted look on the other's face.  
  
"Fine." Daisuke huffed. "Question: if we're going to fix this, I need to know something. Do you love him?" Matt paused in front of the elevator, his arm extended to push the call button that would bring it down. Dai pushed it for him.  
  
He opened his mouth, but no sound came out. His face took on a thoughtful expression. "How would you know?" He looked at the younger teen questioningly. "What are the signs?"  
  
With a sign of frustration, Daisuke pushed him into the elevator and followed. "Since when did I become Mr. Answerman?" He jabbed at the floor button, then looked at Matt. The blonde was looking at him expectantly, and he growled in his throat. "You do realize that you're, like, three years older than I am, right? I'm also Davis, the nuisance, who rushes in without thought, who tries to get his friends and self killed at least twice a week."  
  
"I don't believe half that crap, and you shouldn't, either. I've seen the way you can be sometimes. I know that a lot of the stuff you pull could be avoided, but I think that you dislike wasting the time it would take to think it out. I figure that that's probably why you do poorly in school, also. You just don't like homework." With a weary glance, Daisuke nodded slowly, thinking those words through. "Now, what I'm asking, is that you take what patience you have, and come up with a plan in...Forty-five seconds. After you tell me what love is."  
  
"Jeez, no pressure, huh?" The elevator stopped. He growled in frustration. "Love is the feeling that you don't want to wake up without knowing that a certain other person is also going to wake up. How's that?" They walked off the elevator, and to the door of the apartment. Daisuke stopped Matt as he reached for the knob. "So explained, are you in love with him?"  
  
After a moment's hesitation, Matt shook his head. With a twist of the doorknob, they were in. Dai shut the door. With a look around the empty living room and hallway, Matt spoke to him quietly. "I love him. As more than a friend, as a...lover? I'm not 'in love' with him, because I'd like to think that my feelings are the same as his, and if being 'in love' is too little for him, then I'll give him all of it. I'll love him from now until forever, if he'll forgive me for today and the last four years of denial."  
  
They looked up as Takeru walked toward them from his mother's room. "He's taking a moment. Be gentle, Yamato, whatever you do." Matt nodded, then turned to Daisuke who was standing thoughtfully behind him.  
  
"What's the plan?" Takeru looked at him in surprise. He hadn't thought that his brother would give so much trust into Dai's keeping as to have the auburn-haired youth solve his love life.  
  
With an expression of mock seriousness, Daisuke looked him in the eye. "This is really difficult, so listen well, and follow my instructions to the letter." He waited for Matt's encouraging nod as Takeru grinned at them. "Go back there, sit beside him, put your arms around him...wait, sorry. Go back there, -shut the door-, sit beside him, put your arms around him, and kiss him senseless. Then tell him you love him. Then ravish him. Quietly."   
  
Takeru snickered as Matt ruffled Daisuke's hair and proceeded to follow his advice. The two friends, left behind, watched as the door shut slowly behind him. "Well. That was interesting." Takeru looked at his friend, who was shaking his head.  
  
"I'm the love doctor." He spoke it assuredly, his mouth turning up in a satisfied grin. "Couples swarm to me to answer all their problems." He looked at Takeru, who looked at him for a moment in return.   
  
"Sure, goggles." He followed the young blonde as he made his way into the kitchen. "And what's your remedy for unrequited love?" He put away the tea dishes that they had used earlier. He didn't turn to face the other, but he knew the expression that would be on his face. One eyebrow raised, brown eyes looking at him searchingly, trying to discern what little secret he held that would allow him to ask such a question. "Nevermind. Since when are you and Yamato so close that you give him advice?"  
  
"Since when is it unusual that I'm friends with the both of you. He asked me earlier when I started calling you Takeru. It's as if I'm not allowed to be friends with either of you." He leaned against the table and crossed his arms defensively.  
  
"It's not that. I was just wondering, because I wasn't aware that you spent that much time with him. I didn't mean to imply that you couldn't."Takeru turned to look at him with smiling blue eyes. "I think it's kind of neat that you've become his confidante. It shows that your...deeper than what you let the world see."  
  
Their was a warmth and regard in his eyes that Daisuke had never seen before. The look was unguarded, open, and he had to swallow. "There really isn't much more to me than what I show. Matt says that I'm too impatient to wait for things, and that's why I get into so much trouble and come across as a stupid jerk at times."  
  
"I can see that. He's right. Maybe you'll mellow with age." Takeru thought on that for a moment, then shook his head with a grin. "Not. I can see you, age eighty, racing your wheelchair down the halls of a nursing home."  
  
They shared the laugh, the blonde leaning against the counter, Daisuke sitting in the chair he had occupied earlier. "I'd still whip you, Gilligan."  
  
"No, you wouldn't. You're strength is mostly in your legs from soccer. A lot of mine are in my arms, from passing and dribbling. I could whoop you anyday, Goggle-boy."   
  
"In your dreams, Takaishi. You're all wimp, admit it." Takeru straigthened up from the counter and put his hands on his hips.  
  
"Let's go, Motomiya. I can kick your ass any day, anywhere." Daisuke stood up and mirrored his stance.  
  
"Let's go, then. Enough talk." They moved into the living room and moved the table out of the way. "No punching, no kicking. No pulling hair, no biting, no spitting." The other nodded and they shook hands.  
  
A second later, they were rolling on the floor, trying in vain to pin each other down. Takeru was using his arms to pull Daisuke down, and in return, the redhead was using his legs to keep the blonde's out of the way. With a grunt, Daisuke managed to flip the other onto his stomach, and he straddled him.  
  
"And if you cop a feel, I will kick your ass." That stopped the struggling for a moment, then Takeru pushed up, and toppled his friend backwards. He straddled him and leaned over, grabbing his wrist and moving them above his head where he held them down.  
  
"You couldn't kick my ass if you tried for a year, Goggles." He grinned down at his captive, his thighs on either side of Daisuke's hips. After a moment of struggling, the redhead stopped, and Takeru began to realize in exactly what position he was in. "Say uncle."  
  
"Never." They were both breathing heavy, exerted from their brawl. Takeru leveled his lower half up slightly, trying to ignore the way his body reacted to their position, and silently wishing that the teen beneath him wouldn't notice.  
  
"You're stuck, Dais. Give it up." A pink tongue darted out in response, and Takeru rolled his eyes. "That's -so- mature, Dais. Stick your tongue out at me again, and I'll bite it off." He might not go to that extreme, but his libido was already having problems with his current predicament, and the sight of Daisuke's tongue licking his lips was tempting beyond belief.  
  
"I'd like to see you try it." Daisuke raised his eyebrow in challenge, brown eyes darkening with mischief. The blonde seemed in no hurry to move, and Daisuke didn't feel comfortable with the idea of laying on the floor all day with his friend on top of him. "Uncle."  
  
Takeru's gasp of amazement was only half feigned. "The great Motomiya Daisuke has given up? No way! Call the press, call the president, alert the world!" He loosened his grip, and the boy beneath him took advantage of his freedom to push the blonde backwards so that he could pin him down.  
  
"I renege." He grabbed Takeru's hands and held them between their bodies as he leaned forward. He was between the blondes thighs, on his knees, his grin triumphant. Takeru was breathless, his body reeling in shock from the feel of Daisuke above him.  
  
"Uncle." He said it quickly, his voice rushed. Daisuke got up with a disappointed grunt.  
  
"You take all the fun away from cheating by giving in so quickly. Next time, I'll get straight to the part where I kick your ass." He held out his hand to Takeru, who took it without hesitation. "And then we'll see who's stronger, Gilligan."  
  
"And you'll lose, again, cheater." They mock-glared at each other, listening to the rain on the windows. Daisuke broke eye contact as he leaned down and lifted the nearest end of the coffee table. "I'll let you get that, while I check on the boys." Dai grunted, and Takeru took that as agreement.  
  
He walked silently down the hallway and knocked on the door. Neither answered, so he leaned his ear against the door. There was no sound from within. He opened the door, and peeked inside, not bothering with the light, just in case. He let the hallway illuminate the darkness while he searched out the shape of his brother and friend. Tai was still in the middle of the floor, curled up tightly. But now Yamato lay behind him, his arms around him, Tai's head in the crook of his arm.   
  
They were asleep, in the spoon position. Matt's cheek rested slighlty on Tai's hair, his fingers of one hand entwined with the same hand of his boyfriends. And they were smiling in their sleep.  
  
________________________  
  
Mush, mush mush. Sap and fluff.   
  
End note: That was fun! Really! Any comments, questions, or suggestions? E-mail me.  
  
raegan_1@hotmail.com 


	7. Analysis: Takeru

Author's note: Official Taito. Wasn't that sweet? This part covers from late Friday evening, to early morning. The previous chapters covered from early Friday afternoon, when Takeru found Dai, till about...six at night.  
  
Disclaimer: See previous  
  
Warning: Sex, drugs, and rock'n'roll. Not really. The stereo's broken, remember? And Dai isn't an addict, and Takeru's a virgin, and will stay that way. Maybe /evil grin/.  
  
____________________________  
  
Author: Rae (penname)  
Title: Weekend Rain  
Content: Takedai, Taito, Yaoi.  
  
"They're sweet, aren't they?" Daisuke watched the couple on the floor until Takeru shut the door. The blonde nodded, his lips curved in a small smile. They had looked so great together, even lying on carpeting in the dark.  
  
"Yeah." He sighed the word as the redhead followed him into the living room. He sat down slowly, his eyes wistful. Daisuke looked at him in concern.   
  
"Earth to TK, earth to TK." He waved a hand in front of his face, until blue eyes turned to him. "Welcome back. I thought we'd lost you for a moment. I don't remember you ever being this wistful when Kari and Cody started dating, or Ken and Yolei, for that matter."  
  
Takeru looked away, his cheeks staining pink. "Yeah, well. It's my brother, you know?" He spoke defensively, refusing to look at his friend.   
  
"Right." Daisuke said it slowly, meaning that he didn't believe that explanation at all. "And Kari's your best friend, and Cody's your Jogress partner. You still didn't sigh over them like you are now."   
  
"That was two years ago, too. I'm a little more sentimental now, okay?" Blue eyes slanted his way. "Why are you trying to analyze this, suddenly?"  
  
"Analyze what?" Daisuke asked with unfeigned confusion. Takeru sighed, letting the conversation slip into silence. The redhead sat beside him, trying to gauge his friends newest expression. He seemed lost in thought, his blue eyes focused on a spot on the wall, as if he had found the world's most interesting object, and couldn't stop staring at it. There was a softness, and a contemplative air about him, that caused Dai to wonder at the thoughs behind the look. "What are you thinking about?"  
  
"Huh?" Startled blue eyes returned to him, again, the thoughtful azure fading into a confused smoky blue. "Sorry, Dai. My mind was wandering."  
  
"I noticed." Dai grinned at him. A small smile answered, but the blonde looked pensive. "I was just going to ask you what you were thinking about."  
  
He tilted his head, expectant and patient. Takeru smiled at the image, thinking back to all the times that Dai had forcibly wrung out most of his secrets. That had been years ago, before they seemed to go their seperate ways. "What do I get for my thoughts? A penny's not enough."   
  
The grin widened at his gentle teasing, whether at his tone, or the joke itself, he wasn't certain. "Tell me your deepest, darkest secret, and I'll tell you mine."  
  
What a prize. He thought that through for a moment, his eyebrows furrowing in concentration. With a smirk, he shook his head. "Nope. No deal."  
  
"What?" Dai pretended outrage. "My thoughts are just as much deeper as your's T.P.!"  
  
"Right." Their grins turned into mock-glares. Takeru opened his mouth for a blistering insult, then shut it quickly. "You do realize that we've been arguing like children for most of the day?"  
  
Dai gave him a sheepish grin, and shrugged. "Yeah. You'd think we were still in Elementary school, the way we keep going around." They leaned back against the couch together, trying to think about what to do next. They couldn't very well keep going around in circles like playground rivals. The weekend would drag on forever.  
  
"No video games."   
  
"No television, no radio."  
  
"No board games, 'cuz I'd have to turn on the light in my mom's room."  
  
"No older kids to entertain us, or distract us." They sank deeper into the cushions, exhausting their minds trying to find said entertainment. The clock only read eight o'clock, and it was a Friday night.   
  
"We've already been to the mall, and I don't really want to go back to catch a movie."  
  
"Yeah, they might remember me from earlier, and lock the doors." They giggled at the memory of his department store speech. It was better in memory than they had thought at the time, but it was one they probably wouldn't share with the others. One of those inside jokes, where you stop lamely, and look around, saying 'you had to be there'.   
  
"We could always break in." Takeru suggested lightly. Daisuke gasped in horror.  
  
"The great Takaishi has fallen! Please, tell me that you're an evil clone, and angelic Takeru is hidden in the closet." Takeru laughed, slightly, his eyes clouding over. Daisuke didn't notice immediatly, too wrapped in mirth.  
  
"Is that really how you think of me?" Takeru asked, looking away from his friend. Almost instantly, the laughter died, leaving the room in silence.   
  
"How do you mean?" Dai was confused, to say the least. Talk about mood! He was on the verge of asking the blond if he was having his monthly, when he spoke again.  
  
"As 'innocent, little TK, who does nothing wrong'?" That left the redhead speechless. He opened his mouth to speak, and then shut it again, not knowing what to say. In their earlier banter, Takeru might have accused him of imitating a fish, but there was no teasing remark to lighten the mood.  
  
"Um. Takeru?" Daisuke paused, unable to come up with a way to respond. "Are you okay?"  
  
The blonde stood up quickly, and spun to face him. "When you think of me, what do you think?" Dai digested the question in silence, brown eyes trying to discern the emotions floating across his friends face in quick succession. Worry, anger, sadness, loneliness, hurt, hope, fear. They blended together, warring with each other inside those blue eyes.  
  
After a moment's hesitation, he decided on the full truth. "I haven't got a clue as to how to answer that, TK."  
  
"Takeru." He said it in a jerky fashion, his emotions in tight restraint. A pale hand tapped against his leg in agitation, as if displeased by the answer given him. "We'll try word-association. Miyako."  
  
"Love." He'd play that game.  
  
"Hikari."   
  
"Cody."  
  
"Ken." He fairly snarled the name.  
  
"Wormon."  
  
"Tai."  
  
"Soccer."  
  
"You." More jerky tapping against denim-clad appendage.  
  
"Confused." And he was. How was he supposed to respond, when his normally cheerful, always smiling friend was grilling him like a criminal.  
  
"Me."   
  
"Nuts!" He jumped up, unable to stand being looked down upon. "Chill out, Takeru! You're acting like I'm an enemy, and I'm not, dammit!"  
  
The blonde jerked back, his eyes widening. Daisuke was regretting the force that he had put into his last sentence, fearing for the sudden stillness in the other. "I'm sorry." It was spoken quietly, matching the stunned look on his face.  
  
"Man, are you okay?" He gently touched his shoulder, half expecting him to pull back.  
  
"Yeah." He licked his lips, not quite meeting the brown gaze directed at him with such concern. "Dai, have you ever wanted to tell someone something, that you thought they should already know? Like, it's not a secret, and you haven't tried to hide it, but they just don't seem to get the message?"  
  
"Uh...does Kari count?" The blue eyes flickered, their intensity moving even further away from Dai's face. "Why?"  
  
With a shake of his head, Takeru stepped back, and offered him a little smile. "It's nothing. Just the holidays, you know?"  
  
"Sure, Takeru." It was June. The closest holiday was an American holiday, and he knew that Takeru didn't celebrate the 4th of July. Letting the moment slip, he grinned, trying convey the message that if Takeru didn't want to talk about it, they wouldn't.  
  
"Pickles." That single word broke moment.  
  
"What!?" Brown eyes narrowed.  
  
"What do you think of when you think of pickles?" Takeru smiled at him, waiting for his answer.  
  
"Vomiting."  
  
"Gross." Takeru thought about it for a moment, and then asked the obvious. "Why?"  
  
"When I was little, my family and I went to a fair, the kind with the rides. On the way, my little cousin had eaten a whole jar of pickles. After his fifth time on one of the circular rides, he got of, and threw up on me and Jun."  
  
"I repeat: gross." He shook his head, all traces of his earlier mood swing, gone. He was back to being Takeru, Mr. Hopeful. "I'm going to go get dressed for bed. I'll try to find something that will fit you."  
  
"You mean, you don't want me in my birthday suit?" Takeru just laughed, thankful that his back was turned, and Dai couldn't see his blush. The redhead stayed in the living room, presumably to keep the couch warm. Once in his room, Takeru sat on the bed, and covered his face with his hands.   
  
At that moment, he was half-convinced that fate hated him. He prayed silently for the night to end soon, so that his temptation would be removed. At the same time, he wanted a flood to block all roads leading out, so that he could keep said temptation close by.   
  
"There has to be a god somewhere, laughing at me." He groaned, falling back on his bed.  
  
"It's only me, but thanks for the praise." He lifted his head, smiling at Dai, posing in the doorway. "Do you like me better with my hair up, or down?" They laughed together at his nonsense  
  
"I don't even want to know where that came from."   
  
"Good, 'cuz I wasn't gonna tell'ya." A tan nosed pointed to the ceiling in an imitation of snobbery.  
  
"I can see up your nose." That caused a case of giggles, both boys finding that utterly humorous. Daisuke waited for a little seriousness to return, before regarding his friend with a meditative air.   
  
"You know, Takeru, that I'm not a very...wordy person. I leave that to Ken, and you, and the others." He swallowed before continuing, their gazes locked. "When I think of you, the first thing that pops into my mind is hope, quite frankly. I generally associate everybody by their crests."  
  
He licked his lips, his gaze drifting to the floor. "If I had to describe you to someone, a person that didn't know you, the first thing that would tell them, would be, 'Takeru is the Gilligan-wannabe, with nothing going for him, but hope." Another pause. "But, that's not really how I see you. When I think of you, when I'm trying to be serious, or remembering the way things are, or trying to solve the questions the universe, I tend to bypass certain things."  
  
The break that ensued seemed endless. "I see you as a...a friend. Obviously. You mentioned earlier, about us not hanging out alot, and you're right. But, I've always known, that if I needed a friend to talk to, or a problem I couldn't deal with, that you'd be there. So, I associate you with loyalty. Or, reliability. In truth, I could match you up to all the crest.  
  
Your's, first. Hope, because you always believed that something good would come of everything we did. Even when you doubted, you believed. You doubted your doubts." He laughed. "That's not quite right. Anyways. Light. You are such an optimism, that you lighten people's spirits, and force the darkness out. Cliched: yes. Reliability's done. Knoweledge. You're an intelligent person, Takeru. I've heard you talk to Izzy, and Ken."  
  
He leaned against the doorjamb, his gaze intent on something under the bed. (a/n:dust-bunnies.)  
"Kindness. You're always the first to offer what you have, whether you can afford to be without it, or not. Sincerity. I've noticed, like tonight, that when you can't tell the truth, you won't say anything. You'd rather stay silent, than lie. That's hard." He stressed the last word.   
  
"Friendship. You have so many friends, Takeru. Simply because you're a friend to everyone. You don't judge people, you don't turn them away. You accept everyone on their own merits, and that's hard to do."  
  
He finally looked at Takeru, who had sat up on the bed. When he didn't go on, the blonde sighed impatiently. "You're missing two, Dai."  
  
"I know."  
  
__________________________  
  
End note: I am an evil bitch. *grins* You didn't really think that that would be that easy, did you? 


	8. Silence is a four-letter word

Author: I'm back! And quickly, too, I hope. This came about a lot quicker than I thought it would. I just decided not to drag it out. I've ideas I want to run with. Are songfics still popular?  
  
Disclaimer: Don't own it.  
  
Warning: Takedai goodness. This is the last chap, peoples! Thanks for reading it. The reviews were great! Hopefully, noone finds this lacking. I'm up for ideas, if you want to let me know what you think. *Points at review board.* Hint, hint.  
  
____________________  
  
Author: Rae (penname)  
Title: Weekend Rain  
Content: Takedai. Finally!  
  
Takeru waited patiently for him to go on. Of the nine crests, courage was the most personal to Daisuke. That, he could understand. But his hestitation over the crest of love could only mean one thing. That he knew Takeru loved him, and he didn't feel the same way, and he didn't want to hurt him.  
  
Whatever he came up with, no matter what he signifigance he attached to the final two crests, Takeru would always carry a warm memory of this conversation with him. To have been so close, to have heard such praise from Dai's lips. It was almost enough, somehow, to know that the redhead cared that much for him. He'd hold that thought with him, even as his friend broke his heart.  
  
Daisuke opened his mouth, and he held his breath, waiting for the inevitable. "For Courage and Love, I can't really say." A teasing grin curved his lips, drawing Takeru's gaze to their moistness. In his last moments before his heart was broken, he was determined to memorize everything. He didn't want the tears and pain that would come later to mess with the affection he was recieving at that moment. "Except, that where you're concerned, I seem unable to witness the one for lack of the other."  
  
That stopped his melancholy daydreaming. "What?" Totally confused, oblivious to half of those last few lines, he blinked.   
  
Daisuke rolled his eyes, his grin widening. "Takeru, man. You said it earlier. Loving someone, a person who should know that you love them. Had I ever felt that way? It's so obvious. If you love someone, you should just tell them. People are dense, Takeru. Just because its the most glaringly obvious thing in the world to you, doesn't mean that everyone in the whole wide world will see it to. You have to remember, there are dense people like me out there."  
  
"When I asked you earlier, if you'd ever been in that situation, you said Kari. Were you refering to when we were eleven, or a more current event?"  
  
"The past, of course. I stopped liking Kari shortly before Big-n-Ugly showed up." He tried to lighten the mood that had dampened when Takeru had asked about Kari. No answering smile showed on the other's face, and he looked around the room, his gaze coming to rest once again on the desk. That picture, the one with the two of them, kept attracting his gaze.  
  
Takeru was studying the wall, as if trying to memorize the chips of paint, and the holes from nails that had fallen. Daisuke looked at him, then back at the picture. He knew the answer. It was right in front of his face. He knew it, but he didn't know what it was. And that bugged him. Obvious? Ha!  
  
His mind went back over the day, trying to come up with the reason behind the weird feeling he was getting. *I walk in the rain. Takeru saves me. Takes me home. Tells me his first name. Feeds me. Tells me he missed me. Has picture of me on desk. Tai and Matt come. We solve problem temporarily. Kari and Cody come. We solve problem, again. We leave. Matt and Tai fight, we fix them up. Takeru gets wistful. We argue.*  
  
"Takeru? Why did you get so mad when I said that thing earlier, about you being angelic, and stuff?"  
  
"I don't know. I guess, I just thought that a friend should know better. I have my problems, the same as everyone. A true friend digs beneath generalizations, and..."  
  
"And I wasn't diggging very deep. I'm sorry about that. I know your life isn't as perfect as some would think. I was just teasing, really. I didn't mean to offend you."  
  
"I know that, Dai." He smiled reassuringly. Daisuke turned back to the picture.  
  
*We argued, and I hurt him. He freaks. Then he asks a really deep question. I screw up that. He changes subject. I offend him again. Then I spill my gut. Mostly. And now? Now I'm screwed in the middle without a clue.*  
  
"Your brother's gay." *Test the waters.*  
  
"So?" *Offended, but not in denial.*   
  
"You're really cool with that?" Takeru glared at him.   
  
"Why wouldn't I be?" Feeling as if he'd just fell in over his head, Daisuke shrugged nervously. "Do you have a problem with it?" If looks could kill, Daisuke would have been a corpse.  
  
"No." He didn't say it forcefully. He just let the word slip past his lips. Not in hot denial, not defensively. Just a simple statement of truth. He followed it with a casual shrug.  
  
Takeru let his guard drop. "Good. For a moment, I thought I was going to have to kick your ass for being a homophobe."  
  
"Close-minded, or not, I'd still whoop you, Gilligan." He started laughing. "We're doing it, again. You ever notice, we tend to argue just about the time when things actually get really serious?"  
  
"Yeah. You'd think that one or the other was trying to avoid an actual conversation, except, we both do it."  
  
"Why is it, that, when I'm with you, I resort to the mentality of a prepubescent punk?"   
  
"Because acting -less- mature than you are would strain you?"   
  
"Ha. Funny. Serious, though. We don't talk for, like, ever. And when we do, we spend half the time arguing. Hell, I don't even know if you have a girlfriend!" Oops. He knew it was a stupid thing to say, considering their earlier conversation. Takeru's smile faltered, and his gaze traveled to the desk. "Cancel that. That was just dumb."  
  
"It's okay. We didn't really talk about it earlier. We managed to skip over that part." His smile, still in place, if weak, shifted towards disappointment. "No. I don't have a girlfriend. You?"  
  
Knowing full well exactly how it would come out, Daisuke smiled. "Nope. It's hard to date a girl when you're gay."  
  
The blue eyes widened before they turned to him, the shock evident in the dropped jaw, and dilated pupils. Takeru made several attempts at swallowing, wanting to ask questions that wouldn't come.  
  
He grinned at that stunned look, not missing the hope that flashed through them. "And, yes. I mean gay gay, not happy gay. And you asked me if I still liked Kari." He chuckled under his breath as he teased his friend gently. "Cat got your tongue?"  
  
Takeru just looked at him, unable to form coherent thoughts through the rampant yearning flowing through him.  
  
"You can borrow mine." The blonde's lack of response was starting to worry him. He had expected smoe surprise, but it was starting to get to be a little much. "Takeru?"  
  
His voice wobbled, and his smile faded.   
  
"I misunderstood, didn't I?" He sighed, and walked across the room. Without looking at Takeru, he sat down beside him, not touching him. "Look, I'm sorry, okay? I can just imagine what it looks like to you, and I didn't mean to put you on the spot, okay? There were just...hints, you know? And I thought that you...but that's okay. I know you didn't realize. I'm sorry."  
  
The teen beside him didn't respond. If he had looked, he would have seen the joy that was etched on his face, the smile curving speechless lips. He didn't look.  
  
"I can't leave it like this, Takeru. Please, just tell me we're okay, and we can be friends? I realize that it's really sudden, but I don't want you to hate me. You're a really good friend, and now that we've reconnected, I don't want to lose you. Not over this, again."  
  
"Again?" It was the first thing he managaed to say, and he cursed his own weakness. He wanted to comfort him, to return the feeling.   
  
"Yeah. The reason that I distanced myself from all you guys was because I started to realize that I was falling in love with you, and I didn't want you to hate me. I thought that being a close acquaintance would be okay, but I missed you, all of you, but you specifically. You were my light, not Hikari. Did you ever wonder why I went after you during Malomyotismon's attack? Veemon went after the others in all his forms, but I came to you personally."  
  
"I'd never really thought of that. I just assumed that I was closer." Not what he wanted to say!  
  
"Nah. I just wanted to make sure that you were okay, personally. And, remember earlier, when I was commenting on my recessive mentality when I'm around you? It's because the only thoughts left in my brain are to either tell you how I feel, or act like a brat. Guess which one wins?"  
  
"Dai?"  
  
"Yeah?" As long as Takeru was talking to him, and not yelling at him, he had a chance of saving the friendship.  
  
"What did you mean, earlier? When you said that you couldn't define me with courage and love, because you couldn't see one, for lack of the other?"  
  
"Exactly what I said. You admitted to me that you cared for someone. I assumed that you couldn't tell them for fear of what they'd say. So, I couldn't really tell you how you loved, because you didn't have the courage to tell anyone."  
  
"That kind of goes with hope and friendship, doesn't? I mean. I could love someone, and be afraid of telling them, but that means I have no hope that they love me, and I don't believe that they won't hurt me."  
  
After a moment's thought, Daisuke agreed. "Right. It means that you lack faith in that person, and in yourself, to believe that they would hurt you by not returning the feeling."  
  
"You had a lot of faith in me, didn't you?" The pain and regret in his voice was evident.   
  
"I know that I surprised you. Don't worry about it. Of all the people to go comatose on, I'm a good bet. Hardheaded, and stubborn. The world won't get me down." Pure bravado.   
  
"I hurt you." It wasn't a question.  
  
"I'll live." A simple, pained statement. No pretense, no cover.   
  
"I'm sorry."  
  
"Don't be."  
  
"I should have said something."  
  
"It's fine, don't worry."  
  
"I love you."  
  
"It's okay, Takeru."   
  
"And I'm sorry."  
  
"Stop apologizing."  
  
"Silence is unforgivable."  
  
"Quite worrying about it."  
  
"Forgive me."  
  
"Already done."  
  
"You are so dense!" Daisuke jerked in surprise.   
  
"Excuse me?" He should have expected anger, but the insult had been almost an endearment.  
  
"I told you that I was sorry."  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"And that I should have said something."  
  
"Right."  
  
"And that I loved you."  
  
"Sure." Daisuke seemed to miss the point. Again. Takeru turned to him, reaching a hand out to his cheek gently. He waited, patiently, while Daisuke thought it out, the realization dawning on his face. "Oh."  
  
"Yeah." Brown eyes scanned his face, a smile blossoming. "Oh."   
  
"Wow." His breath seemed to be getting harder to pull in, the hand on his cheek not helping. He felt warm all over, but in a good way. He swallowed, covering that hand with his own.   
  
"You're both so literate." They broke apart guiltily, blushing. Tai laughed, enjoying their embarrassment. "Your brother is still asleep. I just had to use the bathroom, and saw the light on."  
  
"Thanks, Tai. Ruin the moment." Daisuke crossed his arms, his face petulant.  
  
"No problem. Any time." He grinned at them, before leaving. They were about to lean in to kiss each other, when he poked his head back in the door. "By the way. It stopped raining."  
  
________________  
  
End note: Yes, I'm leaving it there. Why? Because I can. If I get enough reviews saying it wouldn't be a waste of my time, I might be willing to make a sequel, with other couples. However, to do that, the couple would be either Jyoumi, Sorshiro, Jyoushiro, Mira, or some combination of the four people I didn't pair up. It's already Taito/Takedai/Kenyako/Hikori.   
  
Or, I could do a complete turn about, and go for a Kenori/Hiyako. Hmmm, the possibilities.  
  



End file.
